1927 C. G. Conn Silver Trumpet 22B

We found a vintage silverplate/mother of pearl C. G. Conn 22B trumpet in the original case at my mom's house this weekend and we are wondering what it is worth. How do I go about finding that out? It looks to be in very good condition. I looked up the serial no. to find that it was made in 1927. It could use a little polish, but all the parts appear to be there and it sounds good. Can anyone give me advice? Thanks!

Re: 1927 C. G. Conn Silver Trumpet 22B

Originally Posted by rnljna

We found a vintage silverplate/mother of pearl C. G. Conn 22B trumpet in the original case at my mom's house this weekend and we are wondering what it is worth. How do I go about finding that out? It looks to be in very good condition. I looked up the serial no. to find that it was made in 1927. It could use a little polish, but all the parts appear to be there and it sounds good. Can anyone give me advice? Thanks!

It is worth whatever someone is willing to offer for it. Try selling it on the marketplace of this site or on Ebay. That will determine its actual value.

Re: 1927 C. G. Conn Silver Trumpet 22B

Welcome to TM!

Many factors play into determining the value of a trumpet. Finish(laqcuer(sp), silver plate, gold or raw brass), condition of trumpet, year, maker, model and of course the market. To best help you determine the value you can ask Mike Pawul at allexperts.com.

Re: 1927 C. G. Conn Silver Trumpet 22B

Thanks for the info...I will check that out. I can post some pictures later tonight when my husband comes home. I believe it is silverplate as it is a little tarnished, but not bad. Should I try to polish it? The thing that goes in the horn end to change the sound, I think it is called a mute, isn' t tarnished at all. I also notice that it has an * by the serial number and read somewhere today that might mean it was custom made? I know that it belonged to my great uncle, who passed away in the 1950's, and I'm sure it hasn't been out of the case since then, until now. Thanks for your help!

Re: 1927 C. G. Conn Silver Trumpet 22B

You might have a 22B New York Symphony model. Do you see "22B New York Symphony" anywhere on the horn? You might want to take the horn in to get it chem cleaned.

What the Conn Loyalist says about the (*) by the serial number:
Some instruments, mostly from the 1920's, have either a star ("*") or the letter "B" stamped near the serial number. Current thinking is that these marks indicate a non-standard alloy, probably only of the bell. The suspicion is that a star indicates a gold brass bell (higher copper content), while a "B" indicates a "French brass" bell. None of this is confirmed at the moment (July 2009). Serial numbers with a "V" engraved after the serial number are factory seconds.

Re: 1927 C. G. Conn Silver Trumpet 22B

Originally Posted by rnljna

I believe it is silverplate as it is a little tarnished, but not bad. Should I try to polish it?

IMHO... If you are not sure what you're doing I would just leave it as it is. A little tarnish will not bother a serious collector in the least. On the other hand, polishing the horn could possibly damage the finish, which would make it less valuable, aside from just being a shame. Good luck.

Re: 1927 C. G. Conn Silver Trumpet 22B

The Conn Loyalist is a great help - we learned alot. I sent a message with a picture to Mike Pawul, as someone suggested, but haven't heard back yet. I did polish it with one of those soft soft silver cloths from the jewelry store and it looks really nice now - no dings or pits. Thanks to everyone for your help - this is a great site!